Cotton harvesters including on-board cotton module builders are typically used to create cotton modules having a generally rectangular shape, conforming to specific dimensions to facilitate handling and transporting on dedicated transport vehicles and processing by gins. The most accepted and recognized of the known on-board cotton module builders utilize an accompanying unloading door or ramp, which unfolds as the cotton module builder is tilted, for providing a continuous, level surface extending from the floor of the builder to the ground or other surface onto which the cotton module is to be unloaded. The cotton module is moved along the ramp by a suitable driver system which may include one or more independently controllable powered drag chains, belts, rollers, or the like. Typically the unloading ramp is used in conjunction with a sensing system that identifies the position of the cotton module along the ramp as it is unloading.
Usually cotton modules are unloaded by the harvester in or near the swath of field from which the cotton was harvested. At a later time a transport vehicle collects the cotton modules and transports them from their various locations in the field and unloads them in a common location to await transport to a cotton gin for further processing. It is not uncommon for a cotton module to be transported several times prior to reaching the gin.
To improve crop yield and quality, it is desirable to be able to record, correlate, and analyze information associated with a crop at various phases of production, such as planting, growing, harvesting, transporting, processing, or classifying. A farmer can analyze the collected information and use it in the decision making process through the current season and future seasons. Planting, growing, and harvesting information of interest may include seed type, seed quantity, timing and quantity of chemicals and fertilizer applied to the crop, time of harvest, yield data at time of harvest, moisture content, area of the field from which the crop is harvested, and the like. Processing and classifying information of interest may include identification of the processing facility, processing start time, processing end time, yield data at the processing facility, seed cotton weight, lint weight, grade, color, fiber diameter, fiber strength, uniformity, trash content, storage location, and the like.
It is also desirable to record, correlate, and analyze information associated with transporting the cotton modules. This information can be used to create a possession history, and may be helpful in determining the effectiveness of equipment, efficiency and timeliness of vehicle, operators, and the like. The possession history may also provide information for determining ownership and/or liability for damage that may occur to the cotton module during transport from field to processing facility. Transporting information of interest may include identification of the harvesting vehicle, identification of the transport vehicle(s), identification of an operator, time of unloading from the harvester, time of loading on the transport vehicle, time of unloading from the transport vehicle, and the like.
To facilitate the collection of information for analysis, the cotton modules are typically marked with an identifier. A dedicated crew will write the identifier directly on the cotton module or on a tag that is manually attached to the cotton module or a cotton module cover. During harvesting, one crew may be responsible for marking cotton modules from several harvesters working in the field.
This system is labor intensive and prone to human error. Even using ground positioning system (GPS) coordinates to locate the cotton modules can result in uncertainty when cotton modules are relatively close to one another due to variations or error margins between various GPS systems. Also, if an unmarked cotton module is moved prior to marking, it will be even more difficult to determine its new location. If cotton modules are identified in error, the record of information associated with these cotton modules will be in error and any future decisions made will be based on incorrect information.
Accordingly, what is sought is a system and method for automatically identifying, locating, and tracking a cotton module that eliminates the necessity of physically marking or tagging the cotton module, which overcomes at least one of the problems, shortcomings or disadvantages as set forth above.